Display device.



E. R. SMlTH.

DISPLAY DEVICE APPLICATION FILED MAILZB. 1916.

1,240,611 Patented Sept; 18, 1917.

EUGENE R SWHTH earners orrron EUGENE RANDOLPH Sll/IITE, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DISPLAY nnvron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

Application filed March 28, 1916. Serial No. 87,269.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in display devices, and relates particularly to a hanger rack for use in school rooms, oflices, stores and other places generally, for displaying any desired number of charts, maps, specimens, samples and the like, in a most convenient manner.

T he invention hasfor its primary object a simple, durable and efficient construction of a device of this character which will be composed of comparatively few parts that may be very cheaply manufactured and readily assembled and which will not be liable to get out of order, the parts being so constructed and arranged that space will be economized to a max mum degree, and

like may be very quickly and expeditiously interchanged, as required for use, or when not desired may be stored away.

More specifically considerechthe invention has for a further object a hanging device of this type including a novel and useful construction of bracket designed to be secured to a wall or other support, a plurality of swinging arms designed to be readily connected in an operative manner to the bracket and in such a way that easy access may be had to any armdesired and the arms swung to any required angular relation to the bracket, and binding members that may be very easily slipped upon and from the swinging arms, said member-S being crimped upon or otherwise secured, either permanently or detachably', to the cardboard sheets or the like which constitute the subject-matter to be displayed. I

A still'further object of the invention is an improved device, of this kind, wherein simple and efficient means are provided for holding the arms at the required adjusted positions and which will at the same time way when not desired for use. r

And the invention also aims to generally formed with improve devices of this class so'as to render them more useful and commercially desirable.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter more fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which a Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one application of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the device, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectionalview through one of the binding members and the suspension arm upon which it is sli oped.

Corresponding and like parts are re erred to in the following description and designated in all of the views of the accompanying drawing by like reference characters. providing means whereby the charts or the Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designatesthe bracket of my improved display or han ing. device, said bracket being of any desired size, and of any desired shape, except as hereinafter noted, and being formed of any desired substance or ma-. terial, metal preferred. The bracket 1 is, in the present embodiment of the invention, in the form of a plate provided at any desired points with any number of apertures to receive screws or similar fastening devices 2 whereby the bracket may be readily secured to a wall or other support, and the plate is formed at its lower and upper edges with preferably integral outstanding flanges des ignated 3 and 4 respectively; The lower flange 3 is formed with any desired number of apertures 5 extending therethrough, and theupper flange 4 is correspondingly the same number of apertures 6' disposed in vertical alinement with the apertures 5, said apertures being designed to receive and accommodate the angularly disposed end portions or shanks 7 of rodlike suspension arms 8 which are preferably formed of suitably strong wire possessing some characteristics of resilience. 1

, The charts, maps, cardboards of specimens, or samples of any desired type or character that are to be 'displayed'by my device; are secured at their upper edges to binding members Each of these binding members compri es a preferably single or integral strip of metal or other substance or material doubled upon itself at a median line to form two plies 10, between which the edge of the display matter is inserted and held by crin'iping or by independent fastenings of any desired character, while the upper edge of each binding member is rounded into the form of a hollow bead 11, as shown, which forms an elongated socket by which the binding member may be readily slipped upon any one of the arms 8 hereinbeforereferred to. 1

From as much of the description as has preceded, in connection with the accompanying drawing, the general operation and of my improved display or hanging de vice will be at once apparent. In the practical use of the device, the binding members with the display matter suspended thereby and secured thereto, are slipped upon the swinging suspension rods 8 and readily supported thereby without the necessity of any fastening devices being employed between the binding members and rods, and the lat ter are effectively supported by the bracket 1 by having their shanks or angularly disposed portions 7 slipped down into correspondin upper and lower aperturesti and in the upper and lower tlanges and 3 respectiyely.

Preferably, best illustrated in Fig. 1, the upper flange e is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the platedike main portion of the bracket- 1 whereby it will present its edge to the arms 8, and, by reason of the direct enga ement between said edge and the arms, as t in preventing the arms from swinging too freely and tend to hold them at any desired adjusted positions or angular relations to the bracket; and preferably the upper sur ace of the upper flange 4 is rough ened along; the edge or man 11 thereof, as

' indicated at 12, which will further assist in holding the arms 8 in the required positions. it is furthermore to be noted that the apertures 5 and 6 are preferably of such a diameter that the shanks 7 will snugly fit therein.

Consequently to insert the shanks 7, they are first inserted through the apertures 6 in the upper flange at an oblique angle to the face of the bracket 1 and when subsequently turned inwardly to be inserted through the corres 'ionding lower aperture 5, will tend to bind in the upper aperture and by the spring action or tension imposed upon the shank to'insert lb through the lower aperture 5, will spring out against the forward portion of the wall of such aperture, whereby frictional means are provided for preventing the arms from swinging too freely and for holding the arms steady at any desired adjusted position.

Itwill thus be seen that I have provided a very efiicient display, or hanging device which is composed of comparatively few parts that may be easily manufactured and readily assembled and which will not be kept in, a small space, and that the material,

owing to its, being mounted-on; cardsorthe like boundwith the members 9, may be instantly interchanged and kept permanently and displayed whenever required, as it is only necessaryto slip the binding member from onearm and slide it uponanother one, as the occasion mayyrequir Thus, for example,.,the device will .be found of exceptional advantage in connection with schools. In the office of the head. of the school, a bracketv may beikept with a large number of sets of apertures therein and in each .school room a corresponding,but preferably smaller, bracket may be mounted. dVhen the charts,f0r example, are not in use, they may be kept on the larger bracket inthe oflice of the head or principal of the school, .such larger bracketiacting as acentralstation and from which thematerial wantedby aclassany day; is taken to that class and placed on, the hanger in the school room. Hence, all ofthe materialis kept in accessible shape asabovelstated, and the teachers are encouraged to prepare such material, since it becomes a permanent part of, the school equipment.

WVhile the accompanying drawing illustrates what I believe to be the preferred embodiment ;of my invention, yet it isto be understood that the invention is not limitedthereto, but that various changes may ubemade in the construction, arrangements ,and proportions ofq-the parts, without departing from-the scope of: the invention as .7 defined in: the appended claims.

What is 1 claimed, is:

1. A device of the character vdescribed .including a supportingbracket provided with ,upper and lower outstanding and substantially rigidand unyielding-flanges having .--op enings extending therethrough, the upper flange being inclined upwardly-toward its per flange and engaged therewith at a point spaced from said shank, substantially as shown and described.

2. A device of the character described, including a supporting bracket provided with upper and lower outstanding and substantially rigid and unyielding flanges extending laterally thereon and each having a plurality of openings extending through the flange, the upper flange being inclined upwardly and outwardly and having its free edge roughened, said openings in the respective flanges being arranged in vertically registering pairs and the openings of the upper flange having their axes disposed obliquely to the axes of the lower openings, and a plurality of suspension arms provided with angularly disposed flexible shanks receivable in said openings whereby saidv shanks will be flexed, for the purpose specified, the openings in the upper flange being spaced from the roughened free edge thereof and the suspension arms extending forwardly from said last named opening over the roughened edge of the upper flange and engaging the roughened edge thereof at apoint spaced from their shanks.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE RANDOLPH SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

